Dear Parishioners, I am sharing from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a Roman Catholic Theology of the Cross and a history of the Heart of Christ Bust. I hope this is useful information for us as a parish!
The entire “Jesus of Nazareth” event seemed to be marked by foolishness through and through and the Cross was certainly its most emblematic point.
But why did St Paul make precisely this, the word of the Cross, the fundamental core of his teaching? The answer is not difficult: the Cross reveals “the power of God” (cf. 1 Cor 1: 24), which is different from human power; indeed, it reveals His love: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (ibid.,v. 25). Centuries after Paul we see that in history it was the Cross that triumphed and not the wisdom that opposed it. The Crucified One is wisdom, for He truly shows who God is, that is, a force of love which went even as far as the Cross to save men and women. God uses ways and means that seem to us at first sight to be merely weakness. The Crucified One reveals on the one hand man’s frailty and on the other, the true power of God, that is the free gift of love: this totally gratuitous love is true wisdom. St Paul experienced this even in his flesh and tells us about it in various passages of his spiritual journey which have become precise reference points for every disciple of Jesus: “He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Cor 12: 9); and again “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1: 27). The Apostle identified so closely with Christ that in spite of being in the midst of so many trials, he too lived in the faith of the Son of God who loved him and gave Himself for His sins and for the sins of all (cf. Gal 1: 4; 2: 20). This autobiographical fact concerning the Apostle be-comes paradigmatic for all of us.
St Paul gave a wonderful synthesis of the theology of the Cross in the Second Letter to the Corinthians (5: 14-21) where everything is enclosed between two fundamental affirmations: on the one hand Christ, whom God made to be sin for our sake (v. 21),He died for all(v. 14); and on the other, God reconciled us to Himself without imputing our sins to us (vv. 18-20). It is from this “ministry of reconciliation” that every form of slavery is already redeemed (cf. 1 Cor 6: 20; 7: 23). Here it appears how important this is for our lives. We too must enter into this “ministry of reconciliation” that always implies relinquishing one’s superiority and opting for the folly of love.
St Paul sacrificed his own life, devoting himself without reserve to the ministry of reconciliation, of the Cross, which is salvation for us all. And we too must be able to do this: may we be able to find our strength precisely in the humility of love and our wisdom in the weakness of renunciation, entering thereby into God’s power. We must all model our lives on this true wisdom: we must not live for ourselves but must live in faith in that God of whom we can all say: “He loved me and gave Himself for me”!
THE HEART OF CHRIST BUST
The Heart of Christ Bust that adorns the Sanctuary of the Church came to us in Advent 2001. This Bust of Christ is most meaningful to us because of the large number of people contained in the Heart of Christ. Hopefully, this reminds us that each of us is precious unto the Lord as not only has, but also will always have a place close to His heart no matter what may happen or how we may sin. Since the arrival of the Bust, parishioners have commented on how it speaks so differently based on where you sit in Church and what might be happening in your personal life. Let us always be drawn to the Heart of Jesus. The Sculpture was designed and produced by Timothy P. Schmalz whose work is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It is a 2,200 pound bronze statue with a gray patina finish.